Multi-Agency Centre (MAC) of Intelligence Bureau (IB)

Table of Contents

Multi-Agency Centre (MAC)- Relevance for UPSC Exam

GS Paper 2: Security- Various Security forces and agencies and their mandate; Challenges to internal security through communication networks.

Recently Union Home Ministry asked DGPs (states) to share adequate information and actionable inputs through Multi-Agency Centre (MAC).
Home Minister stressed the need for better coordination and synergy among the central and state security agencies in countering the ever-changing counter-terrorism and security challenges.

About: Multi-Agency Centre (MAC) is a common counter-terrorism grid under the Intelligence Bureau (IB) that was made operational in 2001 post-Kargil war.
- Multi-Agency Centre (MAC) office: It is located in Del
Organizational Set up: the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) along with the Intelligence Bureau (IB), the nodal agency for the Multi-Agency Centre (MAC).
- All the States have a subsidiary multi-agency centre (SMAC) located in all State capitals.
- Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA), along with the IB, is contemplating to further extending the connectivity of SMAC to the districts.
Information Sharing: As many as 28 organisations, including the Research and Analysis Wing (R&AW), armed forces and State police are part of the Multi-Agency Centre (MAC) platform.
- Various security agencies share real-time intelligence inputs on the MAC.
- Plans are afoot for more than a decade to link the system up to the district level.

Both Multi-Agency Centre (MAC) and SMACs hold meetings almost every day to analyse inputs received in the last 24 hours and follow-up action is “devised or agreed upon”.
There is also a focused group meeting of the Multi-Agency Centre (MAC) where specific information on a specific theatre is discussed where only concerned agencies participate.
A weekly meeting of the Multi-Agency Centre (MAC) is also held with the National Security Advisor in attend of the MAC is also held with the National Security Advisor in attendance.
The IB also hold a quarterly conference with the Director-General of Military Intelligence (DGMI) to discuss issues related to border areas.

Poor Inputs from States: the contribution from state agencies to the MAC that has been made over the years is “lower” in the overall inputs received by the national-level MAC.
Issue with decentralizing: IB is extending the connectivity of SMACs to the district level in a phased manner as there is an “issue of connecting them with the lease line, encryptors etc.”
Issue of Inter-Agency Coordination: several agencies like IB, RAW, Army and others collect intelligence, but the “biggest challenge” is how to “coordinate, create and act upon inputs gathered by these units.
- At times, due to lack of coordination, distrust amongst those intelligence agencies, timely action to prevent terrorist incidents could not be taken.

The intelligence agencies should strive for increased coordination and cooperation not only at the district, state and regional levels but also at the international level with friendly foreign counterparts in developing and sharing intelligence to mitigate and nullify threats.